Art Wander Wrap Up

Happy Monday, everyone!  I just wanted to take a quick moment to capture my thoughts on this year's Art Wander and let you all know how it went.

First off, I just want to say again how lucky and blessed I feel to be able to take part in this fabulous event.  It is truly amazing to see how many talented and inspirational individuals we have tucked away in Carver County!

This year the artists had the opportunity to go on a little pre-Wander tour so that we had a chance to see what our fellow artists were up to.  (During the actual Wander we are all bound to our own studio locations and don't get to have the fun of seeing everyone else, so this was great!)  A lot of the artists as well as the art students from Waconia High School all met up last Thursday night and proceeded to tour nine of the eighteen studios (by school bus, no less!).  It was so much fun to hang out with everyone and get a little sneak peek into the homes and studios of some of the other artists.  I know I'm now super inspired and motivated to add to our art collection and fill in some empty spots in our house!

I kept making and pricing new jewelry until Friday night when it was finally time to admit that what I had was what I had and it would all be what it would be.  Luckily, what it would be was a fabulous couple of days hanging out with the multi-talented Cathy Jo Menssen, meeting new people, seeing old friends, and talking about life and art.

Here are a couple of photos from the beginning of day one... apologies for the iffy photography, but you can at least get the idea!

A very blurry pic of me behind my main display.

Some of Cathy Jo's gorgeous work!

I love all her little vases and tiny paintings.

Aren't her bird houses adorable?

I have to admit that I was pretty darned tired at the end of the two days, but it was such a fabulous experience and a great opportunity for me as an artist and jewelry designer who is really just starting out!  

I have to give huge thanks to my husband for being so supportive, patient, and understanding of my jewelry making madness and for helping me out in any way he can.  I couldn't do it without his help!  I also want to thank Cathy Jo Menssen for being such a wonderful host and just a lovely person to spend two days with.  She and her husband Dave made it so comfortable and easy to come in and show my work in their beautiful, art-filled home.  To find out more about Cathy Jo and her work, click HERE.  You can also find more of her work locally at the Curly Willow in downtown Waconia.

It's really hard for me to put into words, but the Edge of the Big Woods Art Wander really is a very unique chance to see a large number of artists working in a wide variety of media in a fairly short time.  As an artist, it was a lot of fun talking to people about what I do (and why I do it!), hearing about what they had seen and enjoyed on their wanders, and just being excited and inspired by art.  I hope that the Art Wander will continue to grow and evolve and that I have the opportunity to be involved next year.

Thanks again to everyone who came out to see us at Studio E!  Lots of pretties went to new homes... some after minor adjustments to make them perfect for their new owners.  It's always special and gratifying when someone finds just the perfect piece for themselves or for a gift.  As always, I hope the people who bought my pieces enjoy wearing them as much as I enjoyed making them!